carved by Laban Beecher and mounted on rhe ship. The long convoluted story of the political firestorm and decapitation (!) of this figure has been told many rimes before. Suffice it to say that a replacement head was carved by Dodge & Sons of New York and placed on the figure's body. This Jackson was on the ship until 1846, when ir was replaced with another figure-of Jackson. This rime, no one even noticed. This second Jackso n stayed until 1874, when it was removed from the ship and eventually sent to the US Naval Academy, where it is still on display. The first Jackson ended up in the Museum of the City of New York, and they have since acquired the missing head, including rhe piece of rhe mouth and chin, which had been separated and was only recently recovered. There have been a number of other billers used on the ship since then, bur
this ends rhe story of her active sailing career and the colorful stories about her figureheads . The miniature collection continues to grow, and I hope that it can be kept together as a unique depiction of a lost culture and a significant educational vehicle for the public. I am workingwithJ. Russell Jinishian to find a good home for these carvings representing in miniature the almost mystical decorations of rhe ships of the US Navy. ,t
USS Constitution's crew poses at the bow during the ship's 1931-34 national cruise.
Lloyd McCajfery started working as an artist in 1963, and began specializing in miniature and large-scale ship models and carvings
foll time in 1969. He is represented by the J Russell]inishian Gallery in Fairfield, CT He can be reached at pipership@hotmail.com.
USS Cons ti rurion' sfigureheads and billet in miniature by Lloyd McCajfery
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